May Angels Lead You In
by pink fluff
Summary: [ONESHOT] loving someone isn't as easy as it seems. at least tht's not the way harry sees it. sometimes it even leads to things so drastic such as death...as seen in the eye of war. HHr


**Disclaimer:** nothing here is mine; it's either from j.k. rowling or the producers of Pearl Harbour :)

**A/N: **well hello again. I kno this story is cutting into my other fics _Father of my Baby_ and _The Perfect Life_ but I just really wanted to write this. It's inspired by Jimmy Eat World's "Hear You Me" and it's kinda taken from Pearl Harbour. but i promise i will continue writing for those other 2

**Full Summary:** In Harry's POV, he leaves his beloved's side to fight in the big war but is presumed dead after 4 years of captivity. When he comes back he is devastated to learn she's promised to someone else. Now he's going back to war with her fiancé but in order for one of them to survive, the other must lay his life on the line.

**Warning: **this is meant to be a little bit of a sad ficlet…sorta sad/happy ending mixed. the font in _italics_ is in the past okay? Its just a way of showing our main character is reminiscing.

May Angels Lead You In

There he sat.

Just looking out at the calm stars scattered above head.

"_No, please don't leave."_

The sky was almost as clear as that night he'd left. That night he'd left her. To go meet his fate on the battlefield.

"_I'm sorry, but I have to. You know I have to." A tear slid down her cheek as he kissed her hand. "I'll come back. I promise."_

_That was his last words to her. The last words he spoke before his entire life turned into turmoil. When he did return to her 4 years later, he found everything had changed. Everyone thought he was dead. Even she thought he was dead. She'd moved on now. To the arms of another man._

He lay back on the dust and ash, just now settling from earlier explosions and pounding feet of soldiers.

_She was engaged to this man, the new love of her life. _

"_I'm sorry," she whispered to him one night. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't suppose to be this way." Tears streamed down her face. The same tears she cried the night he left._

"_No," he had replied rather steady in attempts to comfort her mixed emotional distress. "It was my fault in the first place. I shouldn't have left you." She closed her eyes to hide the pain which was now so obvious to him._

"_I kept praying for your return," she kept murmuring on. "I love you. I still do."_

_He slowly lifted her chin to look deep into those sparkling cinnamon eyes he always lost himself in. "I promised I'd come back to you." With that said, he walked away. Away from her and the house she shared with her new fiancé. He knew she meant it. When she said she still loved him. The truth was he still loved her too. But that simply wasn't enough anymore. At least not enough to keep them together._

The moon which gave him all the light he needed suddenly disappeared behind unseen clouds, the stars which were but a twinkle vanishing to small dotted specks, invisible unless you really tried. On the ground he felt the thundering of feet, the dirt around him beginning to shake.

"Lieutenant Potter!"

He sat up to see Private Thomas approaching him hurriedly. "The opposing troop is among us, Lt." he informed his commanding officer.

It took Harry awhile to process his words and the situation involving them. "How close are they?"

"About 2 leagues, sir."

Harry nodded, his brows burrowed. "Prepare to move out." Thomas left his side, still crouched low so as not to be seen by the enemy, to inform the other soldiers. Harry grabbed his wand and looked up at the sky one last time.

"_Harry?"_

_He turned around to see a familiar stranger coming towards him. _

"_Still staring at the night sky I see. You always did love watching the stars."_

_He gazed at her solemnly. "Hermione. What're you doing here?"_

"_I heard they were sending aurors to the frontlines again." Her voice cracked tensely as she neared him._

"_Lemme guess…**he** told you, didn't he?" Hermione remained silent, twirling her curls between fingers nervously. "The mission was suppose to be kept quiet."_

"_Harry, please. I don't want him to get hurt." She stared down at her hands._

"_Is that what you came here to tell me?" he asked, his voice not quite rising but hinted to his inner anger._

_She sighed. "No Harry, I-" She stopped, holding her head in her hands, trying to calm herself from getting upset. "I don't want you to go either."_

_He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mione, don't do this right now…"_

"_I love you Harry Potter and I know you still love me. I almost lost you once before, I am not losing you again." This time her tone was steady, firm. But her eyes told a completely different story._

_He stared into those deep pools of cinnamon, slightly watered and hurt, boring into them with the masses of agony he hid behind the emerald green shutters of the window to his soul. "That's funny. Coz I already lost you."_

There was a loud explosion. "Fire in the hole!"

Harry snapped his head towards his troops who were running madly for cover. "Lieutenant! Lieutenant, we're under attack!" Captain Finnegan yelled, flashes of light and firings exploding all around him.

"Close the perimeter!" Harry ordered the men around him. "Get your wands on ready."

"Lt. Potter." He turned to face his second in command, Corporal Malfoy. "Reports just came in from Red Squad. They just had a surprise attack on grid 318. There have 8 men down and they need backup."

Harry was staring at him with a frown. "Right. Tell the men to fall back. The enemy is closing in from all sides."

Malfoy gave a curt nod before leaving to give the commands to the rest of the soldiers. Harry watched his fading blond hair disappear into the darkness of the pit their troop occupied.

They always had their differences before but now, Harry could care less about those times. All the moments Malfoy had tortured and tormented him and his friends were way past him. He didn't care anymore. But he found new reasons to hate the perfect "Slytherin prince". He had something Harry wanted. Something he needed more than anything.

_Hermione held **his** hand as she walked with him to the platform where the soldiers stationed until they were to be sent back to war. She turned to face him, running her fingers through his flawless blond hair, an act of assurance everything would be okay._

"_I'm afraid," he had said to her in a low whisper._

"_Don't be. You're one of the strongest, smartest wizards I know. You'll be fine." She caressed his face still. With one glance across the platform, she spotted Harry, staring at her with as much hurt she held in her own eyes as much as she tried to hide it._

_Draco noticed her gaze. "You know, I'm more scared to think you actually love him more than me." His voice contained that same jealousy, that same sadness._

"_Draco, you know I love you. And I **will** be waiting for you." She lightly pressed her lips against his as a comfort to his doubts._

"_I love you too, Hermione," he replied, opening his eyes and giving her hand a last squeeze. _

_Harry watched the entire scene before him, asking the gods why in the love of Merlin couldn't he just have died during that interval of 4 years when he was captured._

'_I have nothing to come back to,' he thought to himself. 'No reason to be here.'_

BOOM.

A loud blast surrounding the pit of their trenches shook the entire unit. Soon Death Eaters wearing long black robes jumped down and enclosed the troop. Some manhandled the soldiers, prying the wands from their hands and snapping it like twigs.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Death curses were thrown about everywhere, followed by bloodcurdling screams and lifeless bodies fighting for the Light toppling onto the ground. Harry looked around. They were trapped. "Backup! Requesting backup!" Pvt. Thomas shouted over the two-way mirror to the base before he was so brutally murdered.

"Everte Statum!" Harry screamed, pointing at the Death Eaters, taking down as much as he could with one blow. More curses were shouted into the once still night, many of which were the killing curse.

Harry was knocked to the ground by the dishonorable few who decided to flee on last minute. His eyes wandered down, the many dead bodies littering the dirt. Bodies of the enemy, bodies of his soldiers and the like. The pool of blood now seeping into the earth. He looked up. Several feet from him was Corporal Malfoy…on his knees, hands tied, being spat at and wandless by the few number of Death Eaters left circling him.

Harry was cut up and bruised pretty badly but he crawled towards them anyway, dragging both feet in the soil one of which had a deep gash from his thigh to his calf. But he crawled still.

The sweat trickled down his blood-stained face. "Must get to them," he told himself. "Mustn't let them kill."

"_Harry."_

_He whirled to face her, a worried expression wavering her face._

"_Please be careful. I don't want…I don't want anything to happen to you."_

_He didn't say anything then. He wished now he did, but he hadn't; only proceeded to make his way to the train._

"_Wait Harry." Her hand gently touched his. "I just…I wanna tell you…"_

"_Mione," he interrupted her. "I don't think this is neither the time nor place-"_

"_I'm pregnant," she said abruptly. Harry was taken aback. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. "Draco doesn't know," she continued. "I didn't want him worrying about it right now. All I need him to do is concentrate on coming back home, nothing else."_

_He just stared at her in silent shock. "Harry, I need to ask a favor from you." He looked up to meet her eyes. "I know I'm in no position to ask anything of you, really, but I just thought…" She paused to gain composure. "I- I need you to bring Draco back here safe and sound. I want you to look out for him out there." Her voice quivered, afraid of his refusal._

_The truth was as much as he wanted Hermione back in his arms; he could never deny her anything in the world. He was a little hurt, yes, but he knew she was doing this for **him**. And for her unborn child. That baby needed to be with its real mother and father. It was the right thing to do. _

_Hermione held in her tears as she threw herself at him in a tight hug. How he's missed her touch. He missed it so much it pained him just to be in her embrace again._

"_Please, Harry. Please," she whispered hoarsely, the tension in her demeanor almost succumbing him to tears._

"_Okay Hermione. I'll do it. I'll protect him," he responded through her hair._

Grunting and breathing hard, using only his arms to propel himself forward, he crawled to where the disgraceful Death Eaters ridiculed and mocked Draco.

"Argh!" Draco yelled in pain as one of the hooded wizards took a dagger and slowly grazed it over his cheek. A roar of laughter sounded from the other Death Eaters.

"Ya father was well-respected among us. Ya coulda been one o' da greats," another one drawled in a coarse voice. "But you had to go and stab us in the back didn't ya, ya mudblood-loving bastard!" They struck him across the face, along the same cheek they just previously cut.

Draco grunted, both in pain and anger, glaring at them through the dripping blood on his face.

Next to him, Harry saw a wand and picked it up, pointing it at the Death Eater who was threateningly closer to Draco. "Avada Kedavra!" he yelled. More curses were yelled and as one more Death Eater stood, he hurled the dagger right for Harry, aiming to strike him in the head.

"NO!"

Draco jumped in front of Harry, the knife lodging itself right into his chest. Harry then shouted the killing curse at the remaining enemy and at once, it dropped to the floor dead. Harry pulled himself up next to Draco, whose eyes were wide and his hands clutching the hilt of the dagger. His breathing was unusually heavy as one who was drowning would.

"L…Lieutenant…I'm hit," he choked out, looking up at Harry. "We…we failed."

"Corporal, don't talk like that," Harry said in his authoritative tone, though he was afraid. He grabbed the two-way mirror on the ground and spoke into it. "Ground base, come in. This is Lt. Potter. We have a man down, seeking immediate medical attention. I repeat, man down!" He looked back at Draco whose eyes held the same fear he felt. "You see Corporal? They're coming for us. You're going to be alright."

Harry grabbed the hilt of the dagger and closed his eyes. Slowly counting backwards from five, he pulled it out.

"Ugnh!"

Continuous blood flow gushed out from the stab wound. And he stared at Harry helplessly still. It was the first time Harry had ever seen the vulnerability in his eyes without the shields of his defenses. And it probably will be the last. Draco's eyes began to drift close.

"Malfoy! Malfoy don't you give up on me!" he screamed trying to sound collected. "No, Mal- Draco. Draco, you can't die," Harry tried to plead. The blond softly opened his eyes again at the sound of his given name being called. They were welled with heavy tears. "You can't die. You just can't. You know why?" Harry's voice was soft and gentle, the way he used to talk to Hermione. "Coz you're going to be a father Draco. You're going to be a dad."

Draco's eyes continued misting with tears as he shook his head quietly. "I wasn't suppose to tell you. Hermione said not to tell you."

By now the rescue team had arrived, half of them surveying the place looking for survivors, and others watching the Lieutenant and Corporal, waiting for an order.

Draco coughed violently, still clutching his wound. "H…Harry…" he fought out strangled words.

Harry blinked hard. "Save your energy Draco. The baby will need you. Hermione needs you. I promised to bring you home. You're going to be a father," he repeated.

Draco's steel eyes softened, almost as if he was trying to smile. "No, Harry. You are," he whispered back. "Promise…promise you'll take care of them." His last words were barely audible as his lids drifted closed for the final time.

Harry frantically called his name and checked his vital signs before he gave up and cried. He cried next to former rival's dead body, both hands covered in the dark crimson blood. It wasn't until minutes later when several medics appeared.

--------

Hermione shuffled her feet over the neat freshly cut grass. In one hand she held a bouquet of white forget-me-nots, trimmed and perfect, and in the other she clutched a small hand belonging to a young boy with brown hair and silver eyes who walked by her side eagerly. Hermione visibly shuddered as she passed several gravestones, names of the war heroes printed on each one with bold letters. At last she caught sight of the one soldier she intended to see. The young boy saw it too, as he released his hand from his mother's and ran towards it.

The evening atmosphere of the cemetery set her at ease yet at the same time sending shivers down her spine. She knelt in front of the gravestone and gently lay down the white flowers. Kissing her fingertips, she softly pressed them against the gravel right beside the carving of the name. She traced the lettering with her fingers.

"I miss you," she whispered to the grave, almost positive he could hear her wherever he was now.

"You know, your son loves you. I love you. He's growing so fast…" She smiled though silent tears were trickling their way down, landing on the dirt which covered his casket.

She opened her mouth again. She wanted to say more, she really did but sadness had consumed her. She wouldn't even have been able to stand on her feet again if it weren't for the strong pair of arms that wrapped themselves around her from behind and pulled her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he whispered in her ear.

A small smile broke through her face. "Yes, I'm fine." She turned her head to face him, cupping his cheek and looking deep into those emerald green eyes she loved so much. "Thank you." They both knew she wasn't just thanking him for helping her up. She was grateful for everything: for showing her how to love the first time around, and for continuing on loving her even after all the drama with Draco. Harry rescued her from herself.

Hermione savored the taste of his lips on hers until they broke apart at the sound of the young boy's voice.

"Daddy! Daddy!" He ran up to the man next to Hermione, scooping him up in his arms. "Can you tell me more stories about my father?"

Harry smiled at him. "Sure. He was a hero you know. Saved my life."

Hermione looked on at the two most important boys in her life, content overpowering her grief. "You can tell him the stories after he gets into his pajamas. It's almost his bedtime." She took her son in her arms and carried him back to the car.

For a while, Harry didn't move; only stared at his perfect little family with an uncontrollable smile. It was more than he'd ever hoped for: a beautiful wife and son. He turned back to Draco's lying grave and sighed, kneeling down to run his fingers through the dirt. The texture was distinguishable but almost the same as that in the pit.

Harry stood straight back up and looked at the stars above head. The skies cleared, cloudless and star-filled; the moon had finally come back to reclaim its rightful place in the night-sky, showering its light on the graves down below. It appeared exactly the same as it had before. All except for a single star he could swear he hadn't seen that night. It was much brighter than the others next to it. He smiled, still gazing up.

"I promise," he whispered to the night sky.

END


End file.
